Israel’s scorching heatwave hit its peak on Wednesday, with the country’s weather service posting record temperatures and issuing warnings from Eilat to the northern border.
The Israel Meteorological Service said temperatures in the Red Sea resort city of Eilat hit 47.9 degrees Celsius (118.2 degrees Fahrenheit).
In the Galilee panhandle in the country’s north, the heat reached 46.5 degrees Celsius (115.7 degrees Fahrenheit) in Kfar Blum, just south of Kiryat Shmona. A similar temperature was recorded in Kibbutz Gilgal in the Jordan Valley.
Meanwhile, temperatures in other parts of the country remained in the low 40s Celsius, with much of the Jewish state’s humid coastal plain reaching the 30-35 degrees Celsius (86-95 degrees Fahrenheit) range.
Fire alerts were reported in the Beit She’an Valley, where the thermometer reached a record 51 degrees Celsius (124 degrees Fahrenheit). Red alerts for heat stress and extreme temperatures were issued for many regions across Israel.
According to the Israel Meteorological Service, Tuesday night was the hottest night in Israel since record-keeping began. In Sodom, the national record for the highest minimum temperature was broken, reaching 36.5 degrees Celsius (97.7 degrees Fahrenheit), compared to the previous record of 35.5 degrees Celsius (95.9 degrees Fahrenheit). Eilat and Yotvata also experienced record-breaking minimum temperatures of 35.8 degrees Celsius (96.4 degrees Fahrenheit) and 33.7 degrees Celsius (92.7 degrees Fahrenheit), respectively.
Temperatures are expected to start to ease on Thursday, with a more noticeable drop by Friday. By Saturday and into early next week, conditions are expected to return to typical seasonal levels.
